Welcome to my New Blog!

 Announcements  Comments Off on Welcome to my New Blog!
Dec 122011
 
Welcome to my New Blog!

I have had a static web page for many years, but I’ve just moved it over to a WordPress-based blog. The new format adds many features such as searching, tags, comments, and an RSS feed. I’ve ported over most of the content from my old web page with minor reformatting and revisions, and I maintained the original publishing date stamps for the old content. I may also go back and plug in things like pictures of past events that I never bothered to share before, so please forgive me for engaging in a little bit of revisionist history. :-)

I hope that y’all like the new format!

…  Read More!

SRI-M550 Amplified Speaker

 Radio Room  3 Responses »
Oct 052010
 
SRI-M550 Amplified Speaker

I bought this amplified communications speaker at a military surplus swap meet. It’s a nice little powered speaker which is intended for use with manpack radio sets (particularly ones with digital data capabilities). It is powered by a 9V battery which fits in a sealed compartment at the bottom of the unit. It is housed in a rugged aluminum chassis, and has a pair of clips on the back which can be used to hang the speaker from one of the “roll bar” handles which are common on these manpack sets.

 

…  Read More!

Soviet M-125-3xx “Fialka” Cipher Machine

 Crypto Room  1 Response »
Apr 282010
 
Soviet M-125-3xx "Fialka" Cipher Machine

The “Fialka” is a cipher machine which was made and used by the USSR during the Cold War. I found this one on eBay, and it only required minor repairs to become fully operational. I’ll write more detailed information about it later; in the mean time, here are some pictures of my Fialka. You can also find more details about this kind of machine on Wikipedia.

…  Read More!

KY-38 NESTOR Voice Encryption Device (Demilitarized)

 Crypto Room, Radio Room  3 Responses »
Mar 222009
 
KY-38 NESTOR Voice Encryption Device (Demilitarized)

 

The KY-38 is the manpack variant of the NESTOR family of voice security devices. Used during the Vietnam War, this family included the KY-8 vehicular unit, the KY-28 aircraft unit, and the KY-38 manpack unit. These devices permitted secure voice communications over radio.

This particular unit has been demilitarized; that is, all of the cryptographic hardware has been removed from the unit before it was released as surplus, leaving only the case, power supply, interface circuitry, and an interesting electromechanical keying device. The battery box is also missing.

…  Read More!

M-209 Simulation Software

 Crypto Room  4 Responses »
Feb 192009
 
M-209 Simulation Software

After I added an M-209-B Converter to my collection, I decided to write a software simulation of it as a learning exercise. Here is the result: a command-line application, written in C++, which is able to encipher and decipher text just like a real M-209 machine does. In addition, my simulator can generate new random keys and automate parts of the message-handling process. I’m releasing my simulator under the GNU Public License in the hope that it may be useful, educational and/or entertaining.

Update: This software is now hosted on GitHub GitLab. See this post for details.

…  Read More!

Message Book M-210

 Crypto Room, Radio Room  2 Responses »
Feb 192009
 
Message Book M-210


Message Book M-210 was, as far as I have been able to determine, the standard form for recording message traffic during World War 2. A great deal of rigorous procedure was necessary to reliably route message traffic, and part of that procedure involved composing messages on the standardized carbon-copy forms in Message Book 210 prior to submission to message centers for routing. The same forms were used by message centers when transcribing messages (for example, after encrypting them with Converter M-209), when receiving messages sent via radio, etc.

…  Read More!

Converter M-209-B

 Crypto Room  13 Responses »
Feb 192009
 
Converter M-209-B

Converter M-209-B is a compact, portable mechanical cipher machine which was used by United States military forces during World War 2 and the Korean War. Designed by noted Swedish cryptographer Boris Hagelin, about 140,000 of the M-209 series machines were built. Unlike the German Enigma machine, this machine does not require an electrical power source. The U.S. Navy referred to this machine as the CSP-1500.

…  Read More!

TBY-4 Transceiver

 Radio Room  Comments Off on TBY-4 Transceiver
Nov 082007
 
TBY-4 Transceiver

I bought this TBY-4 transceiver in November, 2007 for the princely sum of $26. I plan to retore it to operation, and I’ll add more information about it here… someday. In the mean time, here are some pictures.

…  Read More!

A (Hot, Sweaty) Day at Mark’s Green Truck Ranch

 Motor Pool  2 Responses »
Jul 012007
 
A (Hot, Sweaty) Day at Mark's Green Truck Ranch

I’m getting ready to start construction on my 5 acre property near Riverside, CA soon. At least that’s the plan, assuming that the nice, friendly folks at the county who need to approve my permits don’t drive me insane first!

I have trucks and trailers parked all over the area where the grading will be done, and they all need to move. Unfortunately, a lot of them need some work done before they’ll be moving again!

…  Read More!

AN/TRC-179 “Regency Net” HF/SSB Transmitter/Receiver

 Radio Room  14 Responses »
May 292007
 
AN/TRC-179 "Regency Net" HF/SSB Transmitter/Receiver

The AN/TRC-179 Force Terminal is part of the “Regency Net” system, which was a radio system fielded in the 1980s. Regency Net was designed to survive the electro-magnetic pulse (EMP) from a nuclear airburst. Thus, its members are a lot more complicated than other radio systems with similar capabilities, with lots of filtering on all electrical inputs and outputs. The set covers 2.0000 to 29.9999 MHz with LSB, USB and data modes. The Regency Net members include a frequency-hopping Electronic Counter-Countermeasures (ECCM) mode. The sets can function in single-channel mode with the ECCM card removed, and they were often deployed this way to non-military users such as FEMA.

…  Read More!

US Navy Microwave Protective Clothing

 Radio Room  Comments Off on US Navy Microwave Protective Clothing
May 252007
 
US Navy Microwave Protective Clothing

This conductive mesh suit was developed to protect people who need to work in strong RF fields emitted by Naval shipboard RADAR systems. It provides a minimum of 20dB of attenuation from 200 MHz to 10 GHz, in fields up to 200 mW/cm2. A complete set also includes rubber boots and gloves, a hardhat, and cotton over-clothes which prevent arcing between electrical equipment and the conductive mesh suit.

…  Read More!

M38 Radio Installations

 Motor Pool, Radio Room  Comments Off on M38 Radio Installations
May 242007
 

Instructions for Installation of Radio Sets AN/GRC-9 or SCR-694-C in Combination with Radio Sets AN/GRC-3 to 8, AN/VRQ-1 to 3, AN/VRC-8 to 10, AN/VRC-16 to 18, AN/PRC-8 to 10, or SCR-619 in Truck, 1/4 Ton, 4×4, Utility, M38 & M38A1 (Warning: 35 meg PDF file!)

 

Thanks go to Ken Perkins for the scans, and Wes Knettle for passing them along to me.

…  Read More!

2007 MRCG Pictures

 Radio Room  Comments Off on 2007 MRCG Pictures
May 112007
 
2007 MRCG Pictures

Here are some pictures that I took at the 2007 West Coast Military Radio Collector’s Group meeting on May 4 and May 5 in San Luis Obispo, California.

…  Read More!

M38A1 1/4-Ton 4×4 Truck

 Motor Pool  2 Responses »
May 252006
 
M38A1 1/4-Ton 4x4 Truck

I bought this 1964 USMC Jeep right after I sold my M561 Gama Goat. This is my first military Jeep, and I think it will fix up nicely. It has a coat of what looks like Forest Service green over the original USMC semi-gloss paint. While it has some civilian modifications like a roll bar (not that it would help too much in a roll-over, as it’s bolted to the body, not the frame), it’s not too badly hacked up.

…  Read More!

M35A2C 2.5-Ton 6×6 Cargo Truck

 Motor Pool  3 Responses »
May 252006
 
M35A2C 2.5-Ton 6x6 Cargo Truck

Since I’ve sold my other 2.5-ton 6×6 trucks (I had as many as 6 at one time!), this is now my only one left. This M35A2C is a cargo truck, which is the same as the most common M35A2 truck except that it is equipped with an improved cargo bed whose sides fold down to allow loading with a forklift from the side. This kind of truck can also carry a communications shelter, such as my S-448.

…  Read More!

 Older Entries  Newer Entries